Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Owners Meet the Members

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I have a 2004 Escape limited 4x4 6 cylinder with all the bells and whistles, leather, sunroof, upgraded 7 speaker 6 CD stereo changer and towing package. I love this vehicle. I use it in my business and I have 76,000 miles on her now with no problems. I am getting 28 miles to the gallon overall (highway and in town) with the mileage mostly highway. I added a K&N airfilter and a tornado in the intake between the airfilter and the engine. This changed my mileage from 23 MPG to the current 28 MPG. I would highly recommend the Escape for all drivers. It is more stable on the road than the Explorer I owned and will go in any weather conditions.

I think it is great to know that there is something one can do to increase the MPG for the Tribute. I read your comments about a K&N air filter & a Tornado. Where did you get the air filter and what is does the tornado do and exactly where in the intake system did you put it? I hope you can help.

Does installing this tornado or K&N filter void your warranty? Sometimes, owner modifications can void the warranty. And I know that the service people are always quick to blame the owners modifications for any problem instead of admitting that the problem is actually with the vehicle.

HelloNew to the forum. I just bought a 06 Escape was wondering how much you are towing in weight? I was looking to get a little trailer and tow my Harley Davidson. the bike weighs about 800lbs but I don't the average weight of trailers?

Hi.. I have a 2005 tribute, 7k on the clock, V6 automatic. It has an intermittant high pitch squeak that appears to be coming from the right rear wheel. There is no pattern to the squeak, it can happen reagardless of the vehicle being hot or cold, high speed or low speed. Depressing the brake pedal makes the noise stop and it may or maynot come back when the pedal is realeased. It been to the dealer 5 times since it was bought in july, on the last visit there was a tech note from mazda about similar complaints and part of the brake assy was replaced. we thought that had fixed it until two days ago when it happened again. Has any other owner experienced this frustrating issue?

i purchased my 2006 mazda tribute s v-6 ( loaded ) two weeks ago! i was the proud owner of a 2001ford escape v-6.i put 130,000 miles on it with no problems!! never did a thing to it except change the oil and rotate tires/ new brakes, thus the tranny went after 130,000 miles, no complaints if i maintained it better it , i would still have it!. i went out and got a my tribute ( always liked the look and warranty advantage better than the escape ) trouble is i feel like i still have the same exact vehicle?? although the tribute has the bell and whistles ( sun-roof , leather, 6cd-changer ) i am disapointed that ride/accelleration/gas mileage is exactly the same?? i did get a great deal on the vehicle, listed for $27,745. dealer price $25,961, i bought it for $23,700!! i am beginning to second guess my self by not going after my other choice ( nissian xterra). in fact i am thinking of going back to the dealer mazda/nissian to maybe trade it in for the xterra.. do not get me wrong the tribute is awesome , its just that its seems to old hat!! i would appreciate comments/replies on the pro's and con's of my thoughts!!

Hello, Like Scape I too am a long term owner and poster of a 2001 Escape XLT 4WD. I currently haev (as of 2/7/06) 76545 miles and the only trouble I have had mechanicaly was the front sway bar and outer tie rods breaking, and paint on hood started chipping (but Ford did repaint entire vehicle under warrenty). To answer the towing question, you can tow up to 3500lbs as long as you have the Factory installed towing package, but if you only went out and got a u-haul installed aftermarket hitch, you can only tow 1500lbs (all the engine will limit for stress). I did alot of added upgrades to the interior features and some engine upgrades (Tornado). Sorry to say the Escape may be getting put out to pasture with 2nd child due in July '06.

I now have over 65,000 miles on my 01 v6 XLT 4x4 Escape. Front tie rod ends must be watched on these vehicles. Cost of repair is minimal, mine was under $150. I have kept my Escape in prime condition. Oil ever 3k, transmissin flush every 25K, Radiator flush every other year, air filter is a K&N, tires rotated. New front ceramic brakes at about 50,000, changed my own fuel filter 2x. New tires at about 50,000. Plastics holding up fine, seats have no rips or worn spots. I have had my interior cleaned by a detailer 2x since I have owned the vehicle. I have to say the vehicle looks like new! I would buy another Escape in a heartbeat

I would like to know if you found any solution to this symptom. I love my new Tribute and it started doing what yours was doing this evening...I have had it one week today! YIKES.Anyway, it sound more like a whirring, then a chirping. It comes and goes. Have you any resolve to this issue?

Almost sounds like a leaky Gas Shock. Gas Shocks also depend on the outside temp, if it's like 20 degrees, the shocks will be stiff till they get warmed up (from friction) if you in normal 50+ degree weather then there should be no squeak / hiss from the gas shocks.

If your service department can't fit you in, try a Goodyear service center, most of the time they have better diagnostic equipment than the dealerships.

Dont waste your time with mazda like i did, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration www.nhtsa.dot.gov and file a complaint on your mazda defects. I have a 2002 mazda tribute, and this is the second time i am having to replace the rotors, the first rotors and brake pads were replaced at 17,000 miles, now 10,000 miles later with 27,000 miles here we go again, warped rotors. mazda like most manufactures will deny, and not take any responsibilities to fix your vehicle, unless you file a complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compiles the complaints, and are the ones to force the manufacture to issues recalls and remedy known problems the dealer keeps denying they are aware of. Besides the rotors this has been the most unreliable vehicle, i wasted my money on. This is the last mazda i will ever purchase. Buyer beware, check the website i posted and you can view all the complaints, issues and recalls affected with your vehicle.

Sure you can create a new discussion. We have a Future Vehicles board and that would be the place to put it. Instructions are available in the Help link at the bottom (basically go to Future Vehicles and the "Add Discussion" link will be located at the right above the first listed discussion).

I know it's been a long time since anyone has posted here, but I just placed an order for a 2008 Escape XLT (V6) with just about every bell and whistle they have. I'm hoping that most of the problems I've read about here have been resolved in this new model year.

This will be my first SUV, a class of vehicle I never thought I'd own, so I'm hoping it will live up to my expectations. It was my only option for upstate NY winters and Adirondack road conditions, and still hope to save a little on gas.

I really wanted the engine block heater, but it wasn't available on the XLT. Has anyone had any problems with very cold weather, especially if the vehicle sits for a few days? Also, what kind of mileage is everyone seeing on the highway?

My wife got this vehicle Oct 3. So far she is extremely happy with it. No problems noted, everthing working as advertised. Got the 6CD and she really likes it. The V6 is smooth and suits our driving style perfectly. About 350 miles so far.

I live in Saskatachewan Canada (about 1000 miles str. north of Denver) and my 07 Escape came with a block heater so dont let them tell you its not available. You may want to consider an inline hose engine heater, theyre usually substantially cheaper to install and they seem to work as good as the factory heater. My Escape has worked flawlessly so far in weather as cold as -30 and seems to heat up fairly quickly.

First thing the morning - the car starts but idles low and seems like it's going to run out of fuel. Changed the IAC valve. No change. I don't think it would be the fuel pump or regulator. The intake was off this summer to replace #1 coil. Could there be a leak at the intake. If anyone has had the same problem, please let me know. Thanks. No other problems -YET!

May 13, My wife was driving the Trib and got caught in a flash flood. Visibility was poor and she got off I-49 at the wrong exit. While attempting to get back on she drove into an underpass into about 5 ft. water. She said she could not see the water before hitting it. Trib is seven months old so we are insured and Mazda road service towed it to dealer at no charge. The dealer determined the engine is bad and insurance has okayed the repair as well new carpet and padding. Thank goodness she didn't open the doors so only a little water got into the front floorboard. Dealer ordered the replacement engine and it went backorder. Does anyone know why this engine would be in short supply? I understand that it is a Ford engine, 3.0 V6 Thanks in advance for any inputs. Bud

IF its back ordered, its probably because the Escape/Mariner/Tribute where the only products left using that version of the 3.0L Duratec AND for 2009 they will be using a different version that the plant is probably already shifted over to producing since 2009 Escapes are expected shortly.

Thanks for your reply. Never thought of that. You are definitely right , thank God no one was hurt. Got word today that new engine was received at dealership and they will start on it Wed of this week. Thanks again. Bud

Hi Everybody,I have a 2001 Tribute with 110,000 miles on it, and haven't had a single problem with it...until now. I'm having trouble shifting, and the dealership says the problem doesn't appear to be the clutch, so they're going to have to tear the transmission apart to find out what's wrong. Here's my quandry-do I spend $2,500 to fix a 7 year old car with 110,000 miles on it, or junk it while it's still relatively young? How long do Tributes usually last, and has anyone had major problems with them once they pass 100,000 miles? I'd appreciate your input.Thanks!Annie